Stupid Grin
by Berubi
Summary: LOKIxOC/ He had no time for such fleeting fantasies concerning this mortal woman. That sort of thinking reminded him of his brother and he was unlike Thor. Takes place after Loki's fall from Asgard and just before the Avengers events. SPOILER ALERT :
1. An Island in the Sea

An Island in the Sea

_A/N: So I've recently been on a Marvel kick, or rather a THOR kick, and decided to write this little Loki/OC movieverse fic. And this is your one and only SPOILER ALERT if you haven't seen the new Avengers movie…any, do and enjoy and please R&R! _

**[x][x][x][x][x]  
**

The girl was an absolute enigma to him. He, the Master of all Magic, the Cultivator of Cunning, and the soon to be Emperor of Midgard, regrettably admitted she baffled him. And the longer he lingered around this Mom and Pop New York Cafe-his new refuge of 5 months- the more she ebbed away at his mind  
It made no sense really how she had this effect on him.

How for months her cheerful grin would make him uncomfortable onto the point of squirming in his seat. Or how she would dare touch his hand whenever she'd ask if he'd like another cup of coffee. And how she could be completely oblivious to the negative psychic intent he polluted the air with when she would call him pet names.

"_Dense Whelp."_ Loki exhaled in frustration. His glassy green eyes slid right, peering through the shop window to the people jostling about on the city street. Could he not be more like the people in that crowd mentality wise? Each person in that eclectic sea was only concerned about themselves, no one else. They walked at their own pace, following their own paths en route to wherever their minds bade them go and strayed little to avoid any hindrance from reaching their ultimate destinations.

He admitted he had been losing his way. He knew not what he was anymore, who he should be and where he should go from his current place in life. Loki was confused, if not bitter about the transpired events. And he embodied his bitterness in blame onto every individual who betrayed him; from his disowned family and friends, to the waitress who was unnaturally happy.

Suddenly, Loki glanced to the street corner where his gaze was caught on a woman in a red dress who stood still in that ongoing flood of pedestrians. She turned about carefully in her heels and look around as though her name had been called. When she spotted her caller she eagerly threw a white gloved hand into the air, high above the crowd and waved. Finally a man in a suit jogged right into her eager-to-embrace arms and kissed her on the cheek.

It was then he made a strange association with the woman in red and the waitress

She, too, was an island in that sea.

And Loki had no time to be stuck on her.

The God of Mischief buried his face in his mug again. He needed to focus; draw his mind back to his plotting.

He finally believed he had found the truth in his glorious fall from Asgard. Odin once told his brother and him in their youth that they were both meant to be kings. Loki failed to take Asgard and did not desire his biological birthright of Jotunheim. No, he decided it was Midgard he was destined to rule, to submit to his will and to spite his brother.

But how?

He admitted to himself that taking Midgard would be no easy feat. Sure, a few tricks of intimidation would force the majority of the civilians and possibly world leaders to submit to him but what about the militia of countries? They would surely strike back. And indeed, he did possess powers far beyond what they could ever imagine, but he was one man, one God who was not completely immune to the effects of their weapons as well as death.

No, Loki knew needed an army of his own.

**MEOW! MEOW! MEOW! MEOWWWWW!**

The shifty-eyed cat clock on the wall from decades past began its hourly crooning. It was 2 pm and his charming waitress was late by a whole hour. Indeed, for the 3rd day in a row, curly haired Dana was out of work.

_AGAIN!_ He mentally cursed noting her absence.

Why couldn't he keep her out of his mind when he was in the deepest recesses of contemplation?

Truly he knew he ought to rejoice! He could finally finish this cup without having to hear that childish twit giggle every so often or be mildly concerned as to why that cherubic face would possibly be grinning in his direction this time.

But Loki was unsure if this new solace was right? Or perhaps what he wanted? He prized his solitude and that much was true, but even in Asgard he had his confidants.

And that's when he nearly smashed the mug on the round the table. He had no time for such fleeting fantasies concerning this mortal woman. That sort of thinking reminded him of his brother and he was unlike Thor. Loki desired no love from his future subjects as he felt they would fare better under an iron hand of obstinacy than one of benevolent monarchy. And to a further degree, he could not trust any of said subjects as potential confidants.

He decided to prove this a legitimate notion; that the Midgardians could submit to him. And the first to do so would be that distracting waitress.

From behind the front counter, a middle aged woman with her blonde hair in a bun pulled an apron off the rack on the wall placed it on the host's podium.

"Hal! Dana's still out?" She called to the kitchen behind her. When she received no response she walked back through the door.

Loki left a few dollars on the table and made his way to the podium and apron. He swiftly unpinned the shiny silver brooch and walked out the door.  
It was all he needed to find her.

**[x]R[x]&[x]R[x][x]**


	2. Dropping In

Dropping In

**[x][x][x][x][x]**

After a few moments of intense concentration, Loki found he had teleported himself to a street full of row houses, particularly in front of the corner one half covered in ivy.

Loki walked up the stairs and encountered another Midgardian device. It was a series of buttons that he had seen been pressed once on a television commercial and when done so, someone usually comes along and opens a door from the opposite side.

But one which to press?

He rubbed the pearl in the edge of the silver brooch and then instinctively pressed the doorbell at the very top of the three labeled _Sawyer_.

He rang twice with no response and Loki decided being courteous to this degree was pointless, especially if the girl were possibly out or asleep. He regressed to a sneakier tactic and phased through the door, making his way up the stairs to the third floor. He stopped at a mahogany door and knocked on it loudly.

A winded and raspy voice on the other side nearly inaudibly shouted, "Raul, I paid my rent 2 days ago would you stop—" the door opened and Dana caught her breathe. "Oh Geez I'm so sorry! I thought you were—"

Taken up by a coughing fit, Dana hid in her elbow. All the while Loki drew in her current appearance. She was wrapped in a long black robe, her feet covered by yellow socks. Her usually sienna ringlet curls were mere waves and her tanned olive skin had seemed 2 shades more pallid than 3 days ago. She was definitely sickly enough to him.

But Dana recaptured eyes with him and apologized. "I wish I weren't in such an awful state …but would you like to come in?"

"Thank you." he said strolling past her.

"Oh please take off your shoes! I just cleaned the carpet last week." She requested

Loki looked at her as though she had grown another head and it began to sing but after a moment he complied and removed his dress shoes. _"Just play along…" _He thought.

"Thank you and you can take a seat on the couch if you'd like." She gestured. "So what brings you here Mr...umm...I don't believe I ever asked you your name?"

Loki starred at her blankly for a moment. Should he lie or tell her who he is? Would it matter in the end when he resolved her as an issue?

"Loki. Loki Laufeyson." He opted for the truth. "And you are Dana, correct?"

"Dana R. Sawyer at your service." She smiled halfheartedly, the sun hitting her light green eyes to at an angle that made them appear transparent. "So would you like I get you something to eat or drink or maybe a cup of Joe?"

"I already had coffee today, thank you." He stated flatly, seating himself cross legged on the white leather couch.

"Oh. So you didn't come here to make me work then, honey?" She teased from the kitchen.

He returned a dry, stifled chuckle. "No. I came to give you this. From his pocket, he pulled out the silver brooch he now realized was a cursive letter "D."

"Oh my God!" she nearly spiraled into another coughing fit as she charged to him. "How-where did you find that?"

"You dropped it 3 days ago on my table." He coolly lied as he handed it to her.

"I can't thank you enough." She wheezed, rubbing her manicured fingers along the small diamond and pearl. Dana cradled the small metal piece in her hand, gazing down at it like a mother would her newborn child. For a split second, Loki felt guilty for intruding on something private."This pin means the world to me…if I had lost it..."

"It was no trouble at all, Dana R. Sawyer."

"Just Dana is fine, dear." She said, pinning the silver brooch to her white hair band. "And I must show you more gratitude than this? Is there anything I could give you to say thanks?"

Loki smiled. _'Your life.'_ He inwardly thought. "That will not be necessary."

Dana put her hand to hip. "Don't be silly. Seriously? How about I treat you to dinner or something on Friday night? I should be all better by then anyway?"

"It is not neccesa-"

"Please?" She nearly whispered.

For a reason he could not reconcile until after he agreed, Loki had emotionally responded to the way she softly pleaded. This was new for the silver-tongued sorcerer. There were only a handful of times he could recall when others were able to break down his walls with their words and actually strike him. But this encounter truly stunned him. All this Midgardian girl had asked was please, so sweetly and naively he couldn't deny her. Surely she was nowhere near as graced as he in eloquence but there was something in her near translucent eyes he could not think about rejecting.

Anyway he looked at the situation, the scary fact remained that she momentarily smiled her way into his heart.

**[x]R[x]&[x]R[x][x]**


	3. Do sober What You say Drunk

Do Sober What You Say Drunk.

**[x][x][x][x][x]**

Seven O'clock on Friday night came sooner than Loki had anticipated and he once again found himself at Dana's doorstep. He looked down at his feet with mild disdain; they betrayed him and brought him here against his will! He swore his furtive feet had minds of their own, as he was simply going to desert the idea of seeing her outside her job all together. But alas, he was knocking on her door again.

Dana opened it to reveal herself – a caramel incarnation of Venus- to be dressed in a mid-length black batteau dress. She had pulled her Botticelli curls up in a messy bun at the top of her head and to complete her outfit she pinned the brooch he'd returned over her left breast.

Loki swallowed his pride at the thought of possibly admitting this Midgardian cur looked attractive. He was a God for Odin-sake, and still retained his regal Aesir sense. To even consider her in that manner was disgusting to him. He knew better.

Dana smiled awkwardly under his gaze. "So...I guess you'd like to stay out in the hallway then?"

"I apologize."

"That's ok honey." She smiled walking back into her apartment. "I'm gonna go grab my shoes; I'll only be a second. Stay put?"

_"Where ever would I go?"_ Loki rolled his eyes until they slowed to a stop on her rear. He pinched the top of his left hand._ "AGAIN?"_

"Ok, let's do this!" She exclaimed, grabbing her grey plaid satchel off of the floor.

**[x][x][x][x][x]**

"I thought you were Flemish! That's why I brought you to this place!" Gesturing to the restaurant around them, she nearly burst into a laughing fit. "O Gesu! Mi dispiace!"

"What?" He said from across the table, a bit annoyed and confused. This girl was so strange, oblivious even, and far too happy all the time. It was beginning to wear his patience down—the fact that she laughed at everything. EVERYTHING. Odin, Loki knew he couldn't wait to dispose of this girl soon.

"What to my geographical ineptness or what I just said?" She gave a toothy grin.

Loki decided not to engage the first question. "What tongue is that you speak with?"

"La lingua del Bel Paese. É l'italiano." She leered. "Italian."

Loki just starred at her. "Oh."

"I know I surprise a lot of people like that. Most people assume I'm Hispanic or Middle-eastern or something and that sorta makes sense but no. I'm not. I'm half Italian and half African American."

Loki nodded and tried to seem intrigued at the pride-glowing girl before him. Aside the Germanic, Nordic, and Greco cultures, Loki never paid mind to other Midgardian races. He never saw a point in doing so for all together, race mattered little to him. This was a sentiment he still shared with the Aesir; people were people in the realm eternal- regardless of skin color or tongue—they were Asgardian.

"You zoned out again." She frowned, rubbing the top of her left hand in disappointment."I hope I'm not boring you."

"No. Not so. I apologize. What was it you inquired?" He watched her eyes race beneath half-shut lids, recognizing a pang of hurt in them. If he wanted his plans to work accordingly, he needed to remain focused and learn to cope with her giddiness better.

"It wasn't important." She lift the small menu the suddenly perked up. "How about another few glasses of wine?"  
Loki smiled a toothy grin. He knew what was going to ensue.

**[x][x][x][x][x]  
**

Loki, a little more loosely, watched intently as she continued to giggle over the image on her phone.

"It took FOR EVER to draw that piece and Trish and Kelly said it looked like a pig sitting on top of a flag pole!"

He genuinely chuckled a bit.

"Oh heheh...she was right." Dana remitted. "But that's life as an Illustrator. You win some you lose some, right?"

The God nodded and sipped his tenth glass and was curious if she was keeping count on her intake.

"Hey, you never told me what you do for a living?"

Loki paused during his drink. Dana's excited hazel eyes bore into his contemplative ones, eliciting him to raise his eyebrows flirtatiously. "I acquire land, set plans for developing, and things of that nature.

"Oh, so you're like real estate agent or something?"

"Yes." He quickly replied, smiling. _"These Midgardian women do all the talking." _"Now a question for a question?"

Dana straightened her posture, and mocked his speech. "Yes my Good man."

"Why do you value that pin on your chest so much?"

Dana raised the glass to her lips and polished her fifth glass off with a smile. She gestured for the waiter when he walked past for another refill. "It's a family heirloom."

"Really now?" Loki inquired, but he was more curious about how she was not falling out of her seat from all the wine. She was a thin, Midgardian woman after all.

"Yes. You see, it belonged to my great Grandmother as a silver jewelry box. She had my Great grandfather melt it down and made several things out if for their children. To which she gave my grandmother a pin that originally was a flower with many pearls and diamonds on it."

"I see. How lovely. And it was passed to your mother I presume?"

Dana didn't respond. She starred deadpan at the loaf of bread on the table.

Loki realized he hit a nerve. "Dana?"

"Yes. I'm sorry it was, yes."

"Perhaps we should speak of something else?"

"I would, but I suppose you should know now if we are to continue our growing friendship."

Loki winced and thanked the stars she had not seen him do it. He did not even want to mentally engage the possibility of friendship with her. He knew well he had no time or need for such things. He needed only pawns to carry out his plans, not a mediocre waitress/artist to slow him down. "Very well then, do elaborate."

"The pin was given to my mother the day she married my father. But it was given to me in the hospital the evening both my parents passed away."  
Loki waited a moment before saying something, to keep the element of drama in the air. "My condolences dearest Dana. How did they…?"

"They uhh..."She choked on her words a little bit."They were in a bad car accident when I was ten with a gasoline tanker on route eighty

Dana was visibly shaking now, and her left hand flew to her lips "It happened so quickly— I-I could not process it. Loki, they wouldn't let me see my parents at all! They were so horribly disfigured and in pain. For fucksake the hospital sheets couldn't even touch them, their burns were that bad!"

"Dana..."

"I just...I could even say goodbye to them."

"Dana."

"And to top it off my mother was pregnant!"

"Dana!" Loki almost hissed. Loki stood up and took her by the hand. He softened his eyes and tone and wryly smiled "We should go."

**[x]R[x]&[x]R[x][x]**


	4. Night Terrors

Night Terrors

A/N: I hope you are all enjoying the story up till now. I meant to post this chapter as soon as I had posted chapter 3, but that's ok. SUSPENSE! Hahahaa…anyway, **Later in the chapter, you'll come across the Dream scene and just so you guys are clear, whatever is in **_**ITALICS **_**is the dream and regular font, is the concurrent P.O.V.** Alrighty? Enjoy Chapter 4!

**[x][x][x][x][x]**

Partially inebriated, Loki was forced to carry Dana up the stairs to her door. She was still too drunk to consider climbing up to the third floor herself. But he thanked the stars she was no longer sobbing and was almost bubbly again.

"I'm so sorry...I get sooo emotional when I drink...I'm'n embarrassing mess…words do me no justice…you know?" She laughed in pity at herself then brushed her fingers against his face.

Loki winced. The action wasn't what frightened him. It was the outlandish fire he felt rise in his stomach in response to her touch that did. Strangely yet he relished the moment, despite knowing that this was the wine's doing. He enjoyed how the curves of her form had molded perfectly with his and the way her muscles tensed and loosened in his hold as she shifted about. Then he snapped out of it—again reminding himself of his truest nature. He was a God and the trouble he endured through the evening would not be with impunity for her.

"It is understandable." He rebuffed, helping her find her footing. He only let out a sigh and brushed a stray tress from her face.

"But not acceptable." She fussed.

"Do not take it out on yourself. Now, here are your keys to your chambers."

Dana looked at him bewildered. "How did you— get those?"

"Magic." He spoke the truth.

"Haha! No one likes a wise-ass, Loki."

Obviously insulted, Loki's face shriveled slightly. _"Drunkard cur…"_

"I was just kidding." She grinned, squeezing his forearm "Anyway, I'll see you around Hal and Gina's cafe soon then?"

"Certainly." He said from his alight on the top step "Have a lovely rest."

"Thanks and take care!" She called, nearly falling through her own entrance.

-  
Around 1 a.m., Loki found himself again in Dana's apartment. He had been there since the moment she had fallen asleep on the couch.

He uncovered her body, revealing her to be dressed in lavender chemise. This time he ignored the sensuality of the moment and lifted her into his arms. For his plan to work, he needed her to lay straight on her bed.

Gliding down the hallway decked with loads of picture frames, Loki had a slight interest to know of the people in those pictures. But he slipped the thought for the foremost task as he phased through the door and laid her down in the middle of her queen sized bed. The moment he straightened up, Dana had begun to roll to her left side to which he twisted her gently onto her back again.

Within the pocket of his Asgardian robes, he pulled out a white sash with Rune stones sewn into it. Characters up, he blindfolded her and drew himself to hover parallel over her body. He placed his forehead to hers, staring at her feeble smile before placing a finger over it to begin his sorcery.  
-

_The sun was pounding waves of heat on to every part of her body, but Dana felt nothing but happiness. _

_"Mom! Dad! I can't believe you guys brought me horseback riding!" Her younger self rejoiced.  
_

_"Why wouldn't we, sunshine?" Her mom sweetly asked. "It's what you always wanted for your birthday!"  
_

_"But you guys said-"  
_

_"We changed our minds." Her father interrupted. "Say...how about a race? You, me, and mom: the first one over that hill gets a special surprise!"  
_

_At that, her parents raced off on their tawny stallions. Dana struggled to get her black pony to trot at first. But she mimicked her parents and cracked the reins the equine took off.  
_

_"Mom! Dad! Wait up!" Dana called from her horse running well behind her parents.  
He parents looked back, gesturing with their hands to catch up.  
_  
The brunette's brow furrowed in confusion. And Loki could feel her already taught lips thin as they tugged into a frown from beneath his finger.  
_  
Dana didn't realize it up till the moment, but her parents were wearing Steele grey cloaks. At the same time she took note, she felt like she was slowing down dramatically, like her world was a wheel coasting to a halt. She rubbed the sweat from her forehead and tried her best to keep sight of her parents beneath the cloth slowing hooding them. She never stopped watching their cloaks whipping in the wind. She had the strangest notion that if she did they would disappear. But the more she focused on the flowing grey fabric, the more it became one giant sheet waving in front of her until she could no longer feel her parents' presence._

_That's when the high pitched ringing began. It was almost as though it was chasing after her and she could feel it creeping up. Creeping up faster than she was running after the grey shroud with her parents' disembodied voices. And it enveloped her, filled her ears and dragged her off her horse. And into the ground she was driven, sucked deeper into its amorphous onyx abyss until all she saw was blackness. _

_Dana didn't need to see to know what she sensed. She couldn't feel her skin, but she smelt gasoline. She smelt burning plastic. And worse yet: putrid flesh.  
_  
In her fist the girl beneath the God clenched the sheets and twisted about in a panic. Loki perched his hands on both sides of her face and bore all his weight down with his forearms onto her shoulders. He could feel her body temperature rising as the beads of sweat loosened his forehead from hers.  
_  
The ravenous flames consumed her body now, eager to consume even more of her than it had available. And as hungry as the fiery tongues were, there were a hundred scarab beetles that fervently peeled away her skin and burrowed into her muscles. The whole time the small cretins lodged themselves in deeper in her body, Dana's agonizing screams reached new levels of pitch she never knew she could reach._

There was a silence before the flames that engulfed her began to relinquish their hold to take form again as a man unlike her father.

_Again the ringing rose as the being now approached her._

_This man had no skin and his flesh barely clung to his face. Dana's eyes dilated in horror as she recognized the figure's energy._

_All those years she fought to suppress him and the awful thing he had done to her, she now felt were in vain. Frantically she struggled with him to release her arms but he was stronger than her._

_This was all too familiar, an uncanny, disgusting, and frightening familiar for her. She was overwhelmed with emotions of utter despair so strong _she snapped awake.  
_  
_The God of Mischief watched from the small arm chair in her room as she held her herself in her arms, clinging so tightly he could see the depressions where her fingers clamped down in the moonlight. She was shuddering, gasping for air, before she sprung off the bed to the bathroom across the hall.

Loki smirked, but found he was curious as to whom that man was. The Night terror spell he cast brought the fears of the victim to life so long as the sorcerer knows of them. He rubbed the ball of his chin and shrugged. _'Perhaps this was a subconscious repression of a traumatic event coming forth...'_

Loki decided he was going to find out eventually as this was only the beginning of her pains.

**[x]R[x]&[x]R[x][x]**


	5. Making Plans

Making Plans

**[x][x][x][x][x]**

He sat at his usual spot at the cafe, the tall two seater table nearest the bar. It was close to closing now and he promised that he would wait for Dana to get off work.

It had been two weeks since he first visited her dreams. And in that time, almost every other day, he played all sorts of petty tricks on her when he wasn't here at the cafe stalking her for new things to scare her with. He had begun to enjoy this as a game. Especially when she was at work. In the past week alone she sent six plates of food, three cups and a coffee pot crashing to their deaths on the checker tiled floor.

Dana finally came over, dressed in her usual work uniform of a white shirt-waist dress with her green apron and pin, and set a pot of coffee, two mugs, and some cookies on the table.

Loki removed his eyes from the newspaper comics, pretending to laugh at the Midgardians' poorly drawn strips of humor. "How are you today, my Dana?"

Dana blushed, her pale eyes filled with half joy. "Not so bad. You?"

"I fare well, thank you." He watched her pull her long s-shaped curls into a left-sided pony tail. There was some discoloration beneath her eyes and lines of fatigue outlining her face to which Loki smiled proudly.

Dana, interpreting his smile to be for her, grew slightly more flustered and looked away. "So I brought some more coffee, would you like some?"

"Certainly." He reached for the pot just as she did and enveloped her hand in his. He met eyes with her grinned wider. "You just got out of work, allow me?"

"I-uh-sure" she stammered, quickly resting her chin in her left hand.

"So from what you have last told me, how have you been sleeping?" He nonchalantly asked. He knew the answer. He just wanted to hear the "praising" of his work.

"Not so well." She stated, "Ever since I had that dream about my parents, my mind has been playing some serious tricks on me."

Seemingly concerned, Loki drew his face closer to hers. "If you do not mind my curiosity, how so?"

"Ok well...the next day after that dream, I took a bath, something I don't normally do and I closed my eyes for a few minutes. Then began to smell something sweet, but not like sugar sweet or vanilla sweet but—blood sweet. And then I found myself soaking in blood!"

"Blood has a smell?" He asked mockingly.

"It does!"

"So you are some sort of creature of the night now? What is it called?"

"I'm not a vampire." She rolled her eyes. "I just have a really good nose."

"Right. So what else...?"

"On Tuesday, I bought some fruit and just an hour after putting my groceries away, I went to bit into an apple and it was rotten."

Loki sipped his mug and insisted, "It was probably just one bad one."

"Try like five bad ones, a carton of strawberries, and a bunch of bananas. It freaked me out so much! How could something that looked so sweet be so rotten?"

Loki furrowed his brow and simply shrugged.

"I mean, it's ok; I brought them back to the store and got a refund."

"Well played."

Dana self-consciously began to inspect a stray curl with her fingers. "I think I was hallucinating a lot though...like I thought my hair and teeth were falling out one day and another night I found hundreds of spiders in my bed after I woke up to their painful bites all over my body."

Loki sat up straight and gave her a look of consternation. "Dana..."

"No, wait!" she threw a hand between them to stop his oncoming dismissal. "Five minutes later, the bites disappeared! Loki, I know it sounds crazy but you have to believe me, these things are really happening!"

"Calm your nerves, Dana. I think you should try harder to get rest. Perhaps you should try tea?"

Dana straightened up a laughed. "That's your solution?"

"The holistic route is usually the best." He flatly stated.

"Well…I-I'll try anything at this point." She nearly murmured as she stirred her coffee. "I really need to get some rest so I'm in a better shape before seeing my grandmother tomorrow."

"Your grandmother?" He asked, lifting the mug to his lips again.

"Yes, I try to visit her every so often as I can."

His curiosity was once again peaked."Where is she?"

"In a Home. I just couldn't take care of her anymore."

"A home?" He questioned flatly, a bit unsure of how Dana went about picking another family and home for her grandmother.

"Please don't think me awful, dear. It's complicated."

"I would not." He quickly saved himself.

The young woman smiled. She delicately plucked biscotti off the plate and twirled it around in her coffee, she knew he was watching her, but denied him any eye contact. Instead she beamed down at her mug, as though she were sharing a secret with it and then looked up at him sans smile.

Her mannerisms betrayed her and he knew she was going to ask him something. Then the question popped. "Would you...like to come with me tomorrow?

Loki was only half expecting that and in return gave half a response. "I suppose..." He shrugged.

"Then meet me at my place tomorrow? At 10 am?"

"Verily."

**[x][x][x][x][x]**

That night, Loki had no time to haunt the waitress. He was meeting with his subordinate.

Loki faced the full moon with his arms folded behind his fully armored back.

"Out from the shadow, Taro, and speak your business." He commanded.

"Forgive me Master. I meant not to lurk." The short creature in a black cloak apologetically knelt.

"Then do not cover your foot falls. Now what news do you bring?"

"Asgard truly believes you've perished. Your family-"

Loki looked over his shoulder at the misaddress of titles.

"The Aesir and your former allies," Taro corrected himself. "Do mourn yet."

"Very Well." Loki turned to face the scaly hyena like being. "I need you to take up quest."

"Ay Master. What be the charge?"

"Taro, traverse the nine realms and beyond that. I wish to find an audience."

"An audience indeed.

"Of which variety?" Taro asked.

"Of the war-ravenous, unafraid- of-Asgardian-forces type."

Taro stood. "Should ye request anything else, Master?"

"My solitude once more." Loki commanded.

**[x]R[x]&[x]R[x][x]**


	6. Almost there

Almost there

**[x][x][x][x][x]**

"Don't you sing in the car?" Dana asked, her hands tapping on the wheel in beat to the pop song.

"Mmm. No." Loki admitted happily.

"Why not?"

"Tis' silly, do you not agree?"

"Tis' fun!" Dana argued. She peaked over at her companion who hadn't budged from his window vigil.

"Come on, sing with me?"

"I am from overseas; I am unfamiliar with your music." He quickly lied.

"But you've been living here for almost a year; knowing me for about half that time."

"Three months personally." He corrected.

"And three is enough time to pick up at least one song." She rebutted.

"Fine. Perhaps later. I am in no mood to sing."

Dana's smile faded, and she grew concerned. "Is…something wrong Loki?"

"No." He answered to quick to sound convincing.

"Are you sure?"

"As sure your hair is not white."

A moment passed before their eyes met and just as quickly, returned to their prior watches. Already peeved by the pockets of traffic and the unusual spring heat Dana decided it best to leave him at peace for a few minutes before questioning him anymore. She was beginning to feel like an imposing bore. Loki, on the other hand, watched the cars zip past on the opposite side of the highway. He had much on his mind, given the task he assigned his subordinate the previous night.

Loki believed that Taro's best efforts would only bring him the same places he had searched before. He'd most likely attempt to recruit lesser powerful warrior factions from the primordial realms or despondent brutes with plans of short term alignments. They would serve no other purpose than easily disposable, mindless muscle. Yet Taro was one of the few individuals Loki still had –dare he ever admit it aloud- faith in. Loki knew Taro would not cross over to Midgard again without something promising.

"So do you have any Grandparents?" Dana re commanded his attention

So deep in thought, he nearly jumped but calmed stated. "No. They had perished shortly after the Great war."

"I'm sorry."

"I had been told they fought with enough honor to make their ancestors proud."

"What about the rest of your family?"

Loki winced thankfully unnoticed by her. "In his youth, my father lived through that war. It was also after his parents passed, he met my mother."

"How romantic?" She said. "There must be a wonderful story behind their first meet?"

"Indeed. It is actually quite a lovely story. I do apologize; I cannot recall it at this moment."

"Oh...That's ok. I don't really remember how my parents met either. We'll ask my grandmother later. If she's feeling well today, she may remember..." She wryly smiled.

He denied her verbal engagement at that comment. The last thing he wanted to experience were those eclectic emotions of hers in such confined spaces. He was left with no other choice but to play the part again of the sensitive suitor.

He snaked his left hand into her right one, squeezing it with the utmost delicacy. "Perhaps, but either way I am quite happy to indulge in any of her stories."

"You're too sweet." She whispered, gently petting his knuckle.

He looked to her; her eyes unmoving from the road ahead of them. He keenly studied her them, and found something surfacing just beneath her normal felicity. Although he couldn't place his finger on it, he was able to trace that incorporeal thing down her nose and cheeks to her now smiling lips. And the way the sun lit the rim of her face and the way the radio seemed to trail off into silence so he could only hear her breathing, Loki again believed himself an intruder on another thing he could not name.

Indeed, this was something he did not enjoy: being at a loss of words.

Then, she near inaudibly spoke, "I'm really happy we're friends, I know we've had a short time together, but I think you're genuine."

"I thank you, Dana. And I should admit as well that words cannot describe my feelings." he squeezed her hand and sighed. He hated lying to himself.

Suddenly. She pulled her hand out of his. Loki was perplexed when

The gentle gesture ceased but realized soon that the vehicle had stopped. With the car keys in her hand, she tapped his shoulder and chimed, "We're here."

**[x]R[x]&[x]R[x][x]**


End file.
